Narcotics Anonymous Article 2022

RUNNING HEAD: NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS 1
Title of the Project: Narcotics Anonymous
Student’s Name: -
University Name: -

Narcotics Anonymous 2
1. Introduction-
AA: AA stands for Alcoholic Anonymous, which is the name of an independent organization.
Being the largest and oldest alcohol support group globally, the motto of this organization is
to help people root out from alcoholism and support former alcoholics. The organization
started its journey from 1935 and established by Dr Bob Smith and Bill Wilson at Ohio. At
present, it has several branches spread over the United States and other countries. People who
have problem with alcohol addiction can attend open meetings conducted here, and the
meetings are open to everyone, including the family members of recovering alcoholics
("Alcoholics Anonymous: What Is A.A.?", 2019).
NA: Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a worldwide, community-based organization founded in
1953. The initial membership was very minimal for the first twenty years. In 1983, the
organization published a basic textbook on addiction, which gained enormous population and
the numbers of meeting and membership requests also increased. Presently, NA conducts
almost 67,000 meetings in a week, covering 139 countries ("Information about NA", 2019).
Al-Anon: Al-Anon is a family group founded by Lois W., and Anne B. It is a non-profit
corporation and founded in 1951. It provides global fellowship programs which aim to
recover the family and friends of alcoholics from mental stress and depression. The name of
the organization was derived from the first sections of the words ‘Alcoholic Anonymous',
which can be called as the parent organization of Al-Anon. One notable fellowship program
of Al-Anon is Alateen. It is designed to help teenagers whose lives have been affected by
someone else's drinking. This is not a kind of religious program, and no fees or payments are
associated with it ("What Is Al-Anon and Alateen and Are They Right for Me?” 2019).

Narcotics Anonymous 3
In this article, I will share my experience of attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in
Maryland.
Detailed Description of the Meeting-
The Narcotics Anonymous meeting I attended was held on South Shore recovery club, which
was situated in 1199 Generals Highway, Crownsville, Maryland. The location was very
peaceful and away from daily traffic noises. I went through the main entrance, after
completing basic security checkups. I first met with the facilitator of the meeting and
introduced myself to him. I stated my reason of attending the meeting and asked his
permission to allow me for the session. I also assured him that I am aware of the
confidentiality of the meeting and would not disclose anything without prior permission.
After his affirmative reply, I got permission to enter the meeting room.
As I entered the meeting room, I found the ‘Basic Text' textbook of NA on the desk, which
was a little bit thick in size. There were near about 20 men and women. I took my chair on
the backside of the room and tried to stay calm and quiet as I came here to observe the whole
meeting process, not to create any disruption in the process. The meeting started with the
Serenity Prayer, recited by the facilitator. After the prayer, the facilitator asked if there was
anyone new in the meeting. I was confused and uncertain about how to respond, as I didn't
want to be recognized. So, I remained silent. There were two other women who came to the
meeting for the first time. So, the facilitator quickly conducted an introduction round where
everyone introduced themselves to others. After the introduction round, the facilitator
announced the name of 10 persons and rewarded each of them with a showpiece and a badge
for staying clean for consecutive 15 days. This might seem easier and bit awkward to normal
people, but this was an enormous step for those people who were affected by addiction. And
the reward program was planned to recognize their effort in front of others and motivate them